Score with These Must-Have Soccer Apps!

Hey, soccer lovers! I searched the App Store and came up with my list of must-have soccer apps for the iPhone and iPod touch. Some of these apps, like Real Soccer and SoccerCard, are directly related to soccer. Others, like TVULite and Wunder Radio, are more general, allowing you to access a variety of content in addition to soccer. I enjoy watching soccer, have a good grasp on the basics, and am gaining a better understanding of the game’s intricacies. It’s true—I can’t bend it like Beckham, but I have no trouble spotting a great soccer app when I see it.

Many more apps for soccer fans

In this article I’ve looked at just a few of the top soccer-related titles available in the App Store. Most of these are listed in the Games and Sports categories, but two of the apps, TVULite and Wunder Radio, are found elsewhere. If you’re into soccer, and into the iPhone, go explore the App Store. Many excellent players are found on that field.

TVULite lets you watch your favorite team play anytime you’re connected to a Wi-Fi network. This app gives you access to 300 TVU Network channels from around the world. Don’t even think about using this app without a broadband Wi-Fi connection—EDGE and 3G aren’t fast enough for the feeds. Also, due to the limited processing power of the iPhone/iPod touch, some of the feeds may load slowly and playback might be a bit choppy at times. (A few channels might not even display at all.) However, for the most part, you can easily find your favorite soccer match and watch it in real time. TVULite also allows you to bookmark your favorite channels for quick future access. The app is still in beta, and the developer is continuing to work out the kinks. But even the beta is a decent way to watch sports and more on your iPhone.

Real Soccer is the only game in this review, and I can’t believe it only costs 99 cents. Its graphics are top-notch, game play is incredible, and the details and customization are unreal. One person can play this game, but it also has multiplayer functionality. You can choose which team you want to be on (USA, Manchester United, and dozens of others). You can even choose the type of stadium you’re playing in, the weather, and the type of jersey your players are wearing (home or away). The controls are pretty easy to use. The only negative is that if you quit the app in the middle of a game without saving, you lose that game. All in all, Real Soccer 2009 is a must have for soccer fans and gamers alike.

SoccerCard SKS lets you create an unlimited number of personalized virtual soccer cards of you and/or your favorite players. The interface is pretty slick and very easy to use, and each card is formatted to look like an actual trading card. The “front” displays the player’s photo and basic info. You can use the iPhone’s camera to take a player’s photo, or you can upload a photo from your library. Turn your iPhone or iPod touch 90 degrees to view the “back” of the card, which displays the player’s season schedule, season stats, win/loss record, and other information. SoccerCard also has separate game stat settings for goalkeepers and players.

Best of all, you no longer have to wait until the end of the season for the personalized soccer cards you ordered from a photographer. You can use SoccerCard to e-mail a virtual card, in color html format, to family, friends, scouts, and others. SoccerCard SKS is great for players, coaches, parents, and fans alike.

Wunder Radio is one of the best streaming radio apps available. It’s great to have when you’re traveling or at work and want to listen to a live match. Wunder Radio boasts over 30,000 radio stations worldwide. It allows you to search by location and genre, and then build a list of your favorite stations. When I typed in “soccer,” it turned up 6 results. But when I searched on “football” (what the rest of the world calls the sport), it listed over 30 international radio stations. Finally, Wunder Radio has a very helpful feature that recommends stations that are similar to the one you are currently listening to. All these features make Wunder Radio an extremely useful app for soccer fans.

A must-have for any sports fan, ESPN’s ScoreCenter brings you up-to-the-minute scores from over 500 sport leagues around the world. The soccer portion of the app is fairly comprehensive, allowing you to follow the major soccer leagues including MLS, the English Premier League, Championship League, La Liga, Bundesliga, and Series A. You can follow soccer around the world, or focus in on your favorite country or team. When you’re following a team, the app displays scores as they are reported. When you tap on a score, a separate window opens with stats and commentary for that match. You can even use this app to connect to ESPN’s soccernet, which provides soccer fans even more in-depth stats and coverage, including field diagrams of shots and goals, a match timeline, and up-to-the minute commentary for soccer matches.

GoLearn Soccer for Kids is like having a personal soccer coach in the palm of your hand. Created by a professional soccer coach, the app provides more than 30 video drills to instruct coaches, parents, and players on a variety of subjects. While the videos are intended for kids between U6 and U12, players of all ages and levels can benefit from them. These high-quality videos contain warm-ups, stretches, proper skills and training drills, games, cool downs, and more. One of the best features is Soccer Notes, which helps the user track the progress and attendance of players.

iFooty World Plus provides you with detailed coverage of just about all the football, soccer leagues and tournaments from around the world. It lists over 21 leagues from the United Kingdom, Europe, MLS, South America, and Asia, as well as international tournaments and cups. The user interface needs a little work, but the right content is all there.

iFooty World Plus also displays league tables, past match results, live play-by-play commentary and stats, and news feeds. What I loved about it was that you can join a chat room to discuss a game with fans of your team (and the other’s). This feature takes “talking smack” to a whole new level—and you don’t have to worry about getting tossed out of the stadium. Push notification of breaking scores will be added when Apple approves the feature—I hope by the time this article is published. If you don’t want to pony up the $1.99, a free Lite version is available. Unfortunately, it bombards you with annoying ads.